Bianca Bustamante bakes and sells ube brownies for charity
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Filipino American racer Bianca Bustamante is currently enjoying a series of activities off track after achieving a podium finish at the recently concluded F1 Academy Miami round.
From attending the 2024 Gold Gala in Los Angeles to recharging in Portugal, the 19-year-old McLaren driver has also delved into the culinary world with an exclusive collaboration with Marsatta Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate factory located in Torrance, California.
The Laguna-native has introduced the “Ube Brownie Chocolate,” a treat that combines flavors from her Filipino heritage with American tastes. This creation is now available on Marsatta Chocolate’s official site for $14.75.
Marsatta Chocolate described the treat as “the result of a 10-month collaboration with Bianca, a talented Filipina race car driver, to bring a unique blend of flavors that combines the best of Filipino and American tastes.”
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The Filipina driver also shared her excitement on Instagram, saying, “A little something we’ve been working on, a project super close to my heart. I’ve always wanted to find a way to give back to the community and also spread Filipino culture to the world. I’ve been so fortunate to have so many of you join me on my racing journey, and I wanted to use this platform not only for racing, but to do something positive.”
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She continued, “I’m so happy to announce that through a special collaboration with Chef Jeffray from Marsatta Chocolate, we made a limited edition Bianca x Marsatta Ube Brownie Bar.”
Being Filipino that she is, she incorporated one key ingredient usually found in Filipino cuisine, ube, where she remarked, “and it’s DELICIOUS.”
Bustamante also revealed that all profits from the project will be donated to [Kusina ng Kalinga] by [Gawad Kalinga], an organization focused on providing food to underprivileged kids in the Philippines.
“For this first run, there are only 1000 bars to be sold, and it’s ONLY available in the United States,” she added. “So please, please support me in selling these bars out in the name of charity.”
And what a way to kick off the campaign as she already sold nearly 300 bars in the first few days.
“It’s beeeen absolutely crazy! But we’re only getting started, so to everyone in the US make sure to check it [out],” she wrote.
“And for everyone that already received theirs, a sincere thank you for supporting this cause, truly means so much to me and to everyone back home in the [Philippines.]”
Marsatta Chocolate commented, “Making this chocolate with you was inspirational! So thankful and so excited!!”
